Process for recovering potassium salts from organic carbonaceous materials.



F. c. GRIMES PROCESS FOR RECOVERING POTASSIUM SALTS FROM ORGANIC CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-19.I9I6. a Patented May 29, 191?.

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F. C. GRIMES. PROCESS FORRECOVEBINQPOTASSIUM SALTS FROM ORGANIC CARBONACEOUS MATERiALS.

.APPLICKTION HLED 6.19. 1916.

Patented May 29, 1917.

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amp H FRANKIJN C. GRIMES, OF IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

MATERIALS.

Patented May 29, $91

Application filed August 19, 1916. Serial 119. 115,864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. FRANKLIN OGRIMES,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at Idaho Falls, in the county of Bonneville and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes @r Recovering Potassium Salts from Oranic (Tarbonaceous Materials, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings;

This invention relates to an improved process for recoveringpotassium compounds from sage brush, seaweed, straw, or other organic carbonaceous materials.

It is the primary purpose of the present invention to provide an improved process or method of burning sage brush and similar organic vegetable material wherein an ample supply of oxygen is permitted for facilitat ing combustion, and the volatilization of the potassium compounds is prevented and the same is retained in the residue or ash instead of being carried off-with theproducts of combustion and dissipated.

In the operation of the processes now known in the art-for recovering mineral salts and more particularly potassium salts from kelp or seaweed, the -total net percentage of the potassium salts remaining in the residue after combustion never exceeds 8%. By means of my improved process which I shall presently describe in detail, the available potassium salts remaining in the residuary ash obtained from sage brush, will vary from 20 to 35%, and for other organic materials inpercentages correspondingly greater than is possible under 1 the old processes.

The essential feature of the present invention, whereby this greatly increased percentage of potassium salts is obtained, re-

sides in the. addition of sulfur or sulfuric acid to the material either before or during the burning thereof. I have found that the sulfur acts to preserve and retain the potassium salts in the residuary ash so that substantially all of the potassium salts contained ingthe material is recovered, this being particularly true when the burner is operated under a restricted or repressed draft.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein I have, for the purposes of this explanation, illustrated a type of light, portable burner which I have found admirably adapted for use in the practice of my improved process,

Figure l'is a longitudinal sectional-view through the burner; and

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof.

The burner preferably consists of. a body having opposed, upwardly diverging, corrugated side walls 5 of cast iron or other suitable heat-resisting materials. To the lower edge of each of these walls, the parallel, longitudinally extending angle bars6 are securely riveted orbolted, The upper edges of a transversely curved bottom wall 7 are secured between the downwardly projecting, parallel flanges of the respective pairsof angle bars. 8 designates the supports for the burner body which are arranged upon each side thereof, said supports preferably consisting of metal piping. The central portion of each of the pipes extends in parallel relation to the burner body and in a plane below the lowest point of the bottom Wall 7. The opposite end portions of the pipes 8 are upwardly inclined and then longitudinally. extended, as at 9,.beneath the laterally .pro jecting flanges of the'outer angle bars 6 to which the pipe ends are bolted or riveted. superposed, transverse bars 10 extend beneath the bottom wall 7 and in contacttherewith and have their end portions obliquely inclined outwardly in diverging relation, as at 11, and thelower ends disposed uponopposite sides of the respective pipes 8 at the ends of the horizontal portions of said pipes; The supporting legs or standards are securely fixed to the pipes by means of the bolt-s indicated at 12.

A suitable rate-13 is secured to or supf ported upon t e laterally projecting flanges of the inner angle bars 6, and beneath this grate, in spaced relation thereto, a wire screen 14 of not greater than twenty gage, is

disposed, the opposite edge. portions of the screen being extended upwardly and fixed to the-angle bars 6. i

The draft may be supplied to the bed of material on the grate through the medium.

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of a plurality of perforated pi cs 15 which the top of the burner body is entirely open so that oxygen may freely enter to the-'i'nte-z. nor of the burner, whereby the combustion of the material. will be facilitated.

In carrying out my improved procesathe carbonaceous vegetable material, such as sage brush, wood, straw, or seaweed, 1s fed into the open top of the burner upon the grate 13. The draft supplied through the vert'the' potassium salts present nati'ng, lor

'pipes'215 maybe entirely out off or reduced, as desired. The material, before it 1s ignited, is treated bysprinkling the same with a solution of sulfuric acid, or particles of sulfur in dry form may be added-to the materialwhile burning. The actionof t e sulfur-or sulfuric acid liberheat: upon the ates sulfur oxid gases which penetrate through the material being burned and conin the material as chloridsintosulfates. The latter notbeing. offia volatile character are more readily recovered or saved. Without -,elimineath the grate'and usingthe sulfur or sulfuricacid as above ,explained, the, mineral salts and especially potassium;existing in the carbonaceous material as chloride, es- .capes at the temperature necessary for burnihg'the material. I A s the. material burns, the he t tends to drive ea the sulfur oxid gases which, if excessive, is abated or reduced by adding a small quantity of common salt to the burning material. When the. burning of the material is .c'o'mpleted, the potassium salts remaining'in the residuary ash consists 'ofpotassium carbonate and potassium sulfate Kfter' the material has been com-'- pletely burned or incinerated,the ash falls through the'grate, upon-the wire screen 14,

' gathr'ough which it sifts into the ash pit. "All unburned foreign matter is retained upon the screen 14'. The ash then removed frornthe'pit and packed in suitable containers forjshipme'nt, or refined by' means of any'sni't'able process.

In the practice of my improved process .abovedescri'bed, .the following salient features which distinguish the same from processes heretofore employed for a like purpose are to be noted. First, the vegetable vmatter is not closely confined in a retort or I burner,- but the chamber is entirely open at its top to the air and the burner employed is 'of a simple and light construction and can be readilymoved from place to place; Secondly, it has'heretofore been impossible to -I "recover'from sage b'rush,'straw, and like materials, the potassium salts therein contained incommercial quantities. The present invention has for its principal object the recovery of potassium salts from sage brush which grows over vast areas in the western section of the United States, and in such quantities that its recovery will be commerimportance is the addition of sulfur or sulcially profitable. Thirdly, and of greatest furic acid to the burning material. By the use of sulfur, it is unnecessary to burn the [ma-terial in an inclosed chamber to prevent the dissipation of volatile potassium salts restricting thefforced draft. be

its volatile form into involatile. matter. Thus, although the top of the burner is entirely open and oxygen may freely enter into the atmosphere,-as a chemical reaction occurs which converts the potassium from thereto, the loss orlescape of the potassium salts is effectually prevented.

And lastly, in the practice of the present invention it is not necessary that the mate'- rial shall be slowly burned under an even or uniform temperature which simply results in a charring of the material, but the material may be burned 'as rapidly as the nature This is due to the fact that blue rapidity of combustion with a maximum retention of potassium salts. It will, of course, be manifest that in the practice of the present invention, any desired sulfur containing material may be used, the sulfur being supplied either in a pure or modified of the case will permit without a strong forced draft. the addition of the sulfur enables me to comstate in the form of lump or powdered. sulfur, or an acid solution thereofr From the foregoing, the process and manner of practising the; same will be clearly ingedrawing is, of course, merely tentative,-

and while well adapted for the purpose in view as it provides a light portable construction, it is manifest that my improved process might be practically performed with various other types of burners. Therefore, in

so far as the burner construction is conreserve the privilege of varying the constructionthereof in any manner which experience or special conditions may indicate to be advisable.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire'to' claim and secure'by Letters Patent is 1. The process of recovering potassium which consists in placing thematerial in an openchamber and incinerating the same, and addlng a material which, under the accerned, it is to be understood that I expressly.

salts from organic carbonaceous materials tion of heat, will liberate sulfur oxid gases to convert the potassium chlorid (in the mate rial into potassium sulfate.

2. The process of recovering potassium salts from organic carbonaceous materials which consists in incinerating the same in an open chamber and under a forced draft, and adding sulfur to liberate sulfur oxid gases which penetrate the material during the burning and convert the vpotassium trate the material and convert the potassium l chlorid existing therein into potassium sul-- chlorid in the material into potassium sul fate. fate, and finally sifting the residuary ash.

3. The process of recovering potassium In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my 5 salts from organic carbonaceous materials signature in the presence of two witnesses. which consists in burning the material in an FRANKLIN (J. GRIMES. open-top chamber and under a forced draft lVitnesses: and adding sulfur to the burning material LOLA R. ECKHARDT, to liberate sulfur oxid gases which pene- RALPH EGKH'ARDT.

Copies of this patent may Deobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

